"…..so then I says, I, I says, 'Money? I thought you said bunny!'" Jack almost fell out of his seat laughing at Race's story. He was at Tibby's the day after meeting the Whitfields. Today was his fourth day of community service, and to be honest, he was looking forward to it.

"Damn, Race, you're getting old!" He joked. He quickly finished his drink and whistled for the attention of one of the waitresses.

"What can I do for you, handsome?" asked a sultry voice. Jack looked up to see a tall dark-haired beauty smiling down at him.

"Check please," he winked at her. The waitress turned and sauntered away with a promise of getting his check.

"Aww, Cowboy, don't go!" Race pleaded.

"Yeah," agreed Skittery. "Just skip your community service. Tell them… Whitefields or whatever that you were sick."

"Whitfields," Jack corrected. "And, no. I like them. They're not so bad." Jack was looking for the waitress when he happened to look out the window and spot David, hawking headlines. "I should talk to him," he thought. The waitress came back and handed him a bill, but Jack didn't acknowledge her, his eyes trained on David's figure outside the window as he dug out a handful of coins and threw them on the table.

"Wait! I get off in five minutes…" the waitress proposed, but Jack was already out the door, not bothering to say goodbye to his friends.

"Hey Davie," Jack regretted calling David his old nickname as David turned around and gave him the sort of stink eye you only reserve for people who really piss you off.

"Hey." he nodded curtly.

"What's up?"

"I believe we already had this conversation." David inserted. Jack looked away. "I'm sorry," David sighed. "It's just that things have been really stressful lately. Sarah's wedding is all my parents care about these days. They've completely shut Les and I out of their lives, and now it's all Sarah, Sarah, Sarah! By the way, he misses you," David squinted at Jack in the sun.

"Huh?" Jack inquired.

"Les." David explained. "He misses you."

"You tell him I miss him too." It felt like years since Jack had seen Les. Oh, wait, it has. Ever since Sarah's engagement, Les had started going to the Harrodian School for Boys, courtesy of the Lockton family. Sure Jack saw him sometimes, like the other day when he saw Les walking down the street. But it was just that. Nothing more. That was the only time Les and Jack saw each other, in the middle of the street, walking past each other, Les to school, and Jack to hawk headlines. Their only interaction was waving to each other in these brief moments of reunion.

"Sarah said I should give you a chance." David interrupted Jack's thoughts.

"Yeah?" Jack tried to act surprised. "Are you?" He crossed his fingers behind his back. David paused before answering.

"Yes." David finally said. Jack tried not to show his relief and happiness in his face.

"Do you wanna go swimming tomorrow?" Jack blurted.

"Don't you have community service tomorrow?" David asked. Upon seeing the look of confusion on Jack's face, he quickly added "Sarah told me about it."

"Oh. And to answer you question, yes, but tomorrow's a Saturday. They have to let me off on weekends. Saturdays at least, if not Sunday."

"Ok. Sure. Where? Not the Brooklyn docks, right?" Jack tried to hold back a smile. He knew David didn't fancy seeing Spot.

" 'Course not. I know the perfect place. Meet me here tomorrow and bring your towels and shit. I gotta go now, though."

"See yah."

"Bye." Jack walked towards the Whitfield house with newfound happiness. He finally got his friend back.

"…so then he says 'Money? I thought you meant bunny!'" Jack laughed along with Mr. Whitfield as he retold Race's story. This kind of joke was too good to let it go unheard.

"That's really funny. You know I had a friend like that. Always hearing the wrong things, always saying the wrong things, always doing the wrong things." Mr. Whitfield reminisced.

"What happened to him?" Jack asked, setting down the hammer he was holding. Jack was in Mr. Whitfield's shop, helping to nail the boards on to the bookshelf.

"We lost touch. Kinda hard to keep up with friends who are nine hundred miles away, huh?"

"Where is he?"

"Memphis, Tennessee. I'm from Memphis you know."

"Really? I didn't know that. Where's Mrs. Whitfield from?"

"South Carolina." Mrs. Whitfield stood leaning against the white door frame, wearing a beautiful light pink dress. "Honey, I'm going to make a trip down to the market. You want anything?"

"You look beautiful today." Mr. Whitfield commented.

"Oh, stop it." Mrs. Whitfield turned away to hide her blush. "Anything from the market?"

"Yes, please. If you don't mind, I would really enjoy some peach cobbler tonight. So peaches, if you can find them."

"Alright. How about you, Jack? You want anything?" Jack was taken aback at this question. Never had anyone in his life asked him if he wanted them to buy anything for them.

"Uh, no, thank you."

"Nonsense! You must want something?" Mrs. Whitfield inquired.

"It'd be rude, Mrs. Whitfield." he countered.

"Now, Jack. You're our guest. I won't have you go hungry the rest of the day."

"Come on, Jack," Mrs. Whitfield pleaded. Jack couldn't say no.

"If you say so, Mrs. Whitfield.."

"Please, stop with all this 'Mrs. Whitfield' nonsense. Call me Jane."

"Jane?"

"Call me James, while you're at it," Mr. Whitfield grinned at Jack.

"Are you sure I can go, M-James?" Jack stood up.

"Of course! I can do the rest by myself. You deserve a break, MJack!"

"Alright then." Jack had a huge grin on his face as he followed Jane out the door.

Jack and Jane had been walking in silence for a bit, when Jack finally couldn't take it anymore.

"What's your favourite colour?" Jack blurted. He silently cursed himself as Jane gave him an amused sideways glance.

"Pink," she answered.

"Your dress is pink," he said. He cursed himself again as Jane giggled.

"Well, here we are. Say Jack, you mind doing me a favour?" Jack said no.

"I need you to find some oysters for me. I'm making oysters Rockefeller tonight, it's one of James' favorites."

"No problem."

"Thank you." Jane lightly touched Jack's arm and turned and left, leaving tingles on Jack's arm. He watched her disappear into the crowd, and then started looking for oysters. His quest was quickly complete, as there was a large obtuse man hawking oysters right beside him.

"Um, how much one I need to make oysters Rockefeller?" Jack asked the man. The obtuse one eyed Jack up and down.

"For how many people?"

"Just two."

"I'd say about twenty. Ten for each, you know?"

"Twenty, then."

"That'll be four dollars." Jack froze. He forgot about the paying part.

"Um, do you mind waiting? I'm not the one buying these actually." The large man huffed through his nose.

"Fine. But I'll hold on to these while we wait for your friend." Jack puffed out his cheeks. He had no idea when Jane was going to be back. Suddenly he felt a hand grab his arm.

"Mr. Kelly! Not playing truant, are we?" Jack whipped around to see Judge Strauss holding on to his arm.

"No, Judge, you don't understand-"

"I understand enough, Mr. Kelly. Come on, to the refuge we go." The Judge was pulling Jack away, when Jane stepped in from out of nowhere.

"Judge! Do we have a problem here?" Judge Strauss let go of Jack's arm and turned a deep crimson shade. It was obvious he had a thing for her.

"So sorry, Mrs. Whitfield. I thought he neglected to show up today."

"For your information, Jack has been nothing if not saint-like to my husband and I."

"Once again, my apologies." Jack watched the Judge slink away into the crowd. Jane paid for the oysters, and soon her and Jack were on their way to Margie's Bakery.

"You know, that judge has made a pass at me before," Jane quietly said.

"What?"

"When he came over to our house to inform us that you would be coming over. James had gone to get us coffee, and the judge put his hand on my leg."

"Did you tell James?"

"Of course not. James does so much for me already. I didn't feel right making him worry like that. Besides, I'm used to it." Jack didn't say anything, but inside he was furious. That stupid Judge! He fully well knew that Jane is married, and if Jack wasn't mistaken, he was married himself. But in the middle of his thoughts, Jack stopped. Who was he to judge the Judge? He wasn't exactly a saint, no matter how many times Jane said it. He had a relationship with Race's girl behind his back, and thank God that girl moved and Race never found out. And even now, he was walking down the street with a married woman he may or may not have feelings for.

They entered Margie's Bakery, and Jane strode over to the freshly baked buns. Jack trailed behind her, looking around. He heard giggling and turned around to see two girls sitting together at a table, waving at him with salacious smiles plastered on their faces.

"Well, well, Jack. Looks like you're quite the charmer." Jane winked at Jack as he blushed and began helping her choose buns. They each reached in the glass bin and picked the best-looking bun and dropped it into a brown paper bag Jane was holding. It went Jane's hand, Jack's hand, Jane's hand, Jack's hand. For a split-second, Jack's hand moved too fast, and he ended up taking Jane's hand instead of a bun. They stood there, motionless, Jane staring at their hands, and Jack staring at her lovely face. Jane seemed to snap out of her trance, and quickly slipped her hand out of Jack's grip.

"Um, that should be enough to last James and I a week." Jane turned and went to the cash register, leaving Jack standing by the bun bin. She felt it. Jack was 90% sure she felt it. When she touched Jack's arm she didn't, but now she did. When Jack accidentally grabbed her hand, sparks of electricity shot up and down his arm, and judging by Jane's reaction, the same thing happened to her.

"Ready?" Jane asked him, though she didn't meet his eyes.

"Yup." Now he was 100% sure she felt it.

A/N

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I came up with another Newsies story, and I was just polishing the plot so I can immediately launch into it when I finish this one.

Please review!